Cuthbertson Middle School

Week of June 3, 2024

CMS 'Weekly' Update!

Good evening, CAVS families!

It's the last week of school of the 2023-24 school year!

It's been a GREAT school year, but we're not done just yet. FIVE days left!

CAVS will enjoy this last week with their peers & staff launching bottle rockets (7th), the annual kickball tournament (6th), 8th grade celebration, yearbook signing, and more...

State EOG / EOC Testing-- We are glad state testing is behind us (for the most part) as make-up testing will continue each day this week.

Regarding EOG/EOC Test Scores—UCPS has begun to upload EOG / EOC test scores into student accounts via the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Schools will not print test scores and include with report cards like in previous years.

To access the reports, please visit: https://ucps.powerschool.com/public/ and click on “State Test Reports” on the left hand navigation menu. This information is only available on the Parent Portal website; it is NOT available on the Parent Portal mobile phone app.

**EOG Re-Testing: If your child did not pass an EOG / EOC assessment, you will be communicated with this week. Your child will be provided an opportunity to re-take the EOG/EOC assessment(s) next week. Please refer to the letter sent home with more information.

Yearbooks-- These will be distributed to ALL students on Thursday, June 6th.

Student Chromebook Collection--

ALL student Chromebooks and chargers will be collected this week.

Tuesday-- 8th grade
Wednesday-- 6th grade
Thursday-- 7th grade

**Help your child prepare for Chromebook collection by helping them wrap their charger cord.**

Please note: Students will be asked to write a statement about any damage to Chromebooks or chargers.

*Lost or damaged items will result in bills forwarded to parents this summer.

Not returning to CMS next school year?

If your student is a rising 7th or 8th grader & will not be returning to Cuthbertson Middle School for the 2024-25 school year, please contact our Data Manager, Diane Scaduto @

diane.scaduto@ucps.k12.nc.us. This information aids in our planning for the next year and helps to ensure your child's school records are readily available to be sent to their next school promptly.

Parents, we need Activity Bus Drivers!

We are looking for individuals willing to serve as Activity Bus Drivers for our school... to take our students to athletic events, field trips, etc. If interested in exploring this opportunity, please contact Mr. David Ludlow (david.ludlow@ucps.k12.nc.us) at our school. $17.85 per hour / UCPS will pay for the class required.

Parents, I want to remind you of these Afternoon Car-Rider Pick Up REMINDERS...

Please do not arrive at CMS until 3:30 or later for afternoon pick-up as the highschool is dismissing beforehand, and too many cars will cause gridlock on our school campuses.

Parents should NOT park in the staff parking lot, visitor parking spaces, the high school, or nearby neighborhoods to pick up children at dismissal time.
Please do NOT drive through our bus lot during school dismissal. While we are dismissing students between 4-4:30 PM, cars driving through our bus lot present a significant safety concern.

Attendance Reminders--

If your student is out sick, you don’t need to call the school to notify us. A note should be sent in with your child when they return back to school.
Absent notes should be handed in within 3 days of your student's absence. Your child should give the absent note to their homeroom teacher. Parent notes are only accepted during the grading period of the absence/tardy/early dismissal. (Doctor notes can be accepted anytime.)
A "tardy" is considered either a late arrival to school or an early dismissal from school. All Tardies / Early Dismissals are coded as unexcused until a note is received.
Please send your child with a note to receive an early dismissal pass if you will be picking up your student for any reason. This helps to cut down on class disruptions and to help cut down on your wait time when picking up your child. The note sent in to get an early dismissal pass is not the note to excuse the tardy or early dismissal. When picking up your child, a photo ID must be provided to release your student.
For every (5) unexcused "tardies" students will attend a recovery session. Information will be sent if your child will need to serve a recovery.
Students who have excessive absences will be assigned a Saturday recovery day. Letters are sent home monthly for those students who reach 3 or more unexcused absences.

Any attendance questions, please contact our Data Manager, Diane Scaduto, @diane.scaduto@ucps.k12.nc.us.

Catherine Perry

Principal

8th Grade Promotion Ceremony-- Friday, June 7th

When-- Friday, June 7th @ 10 AM (ceremony length approx. 1 hour)

Students should arrive at 9:30 AM (directly to the stadium)
Gates will open for seating at 9:30 AM as well

Where-- Cuthbertson High School stadium

In case of bad weather, the promotion ceremony will be moved indoors. If that occurs, there will be 2 ceremonies, due to limited capacity.

Tickets-- 6 per student (Only 2 tickets per student if the ceremony is moved indoors)
Student Dress-- As your child plans to dress up for the ceremony, please remember that it's an outdoor ceremony in June. It'll be hot outside. Light and 'cool' clothes & comfortable shoes are recommended. Adhere to school dress code guidelines.

Information from our neighbor, the Southwest Regional Library

Teen Advisory Group applications – The library is recruiting rising 8th - 12 graders or teens ages 13 - 17 for our Teen Advisory Group! Students can earn community service volunteer hours in a student government type group while gaining leadership experience and having fun! Apply online from May 6 - June 6. If students or parents have questions? Contact Stephanie Johnson at stephanie.johnson@unioncountync.gov or 980-699-5224.
Summer Reading Program – June 10 to August 10 – More information will be shared out soon for all ages but you can view the overview of the program planned for teens in the attached document. (Flyer below)
The Southwest Regional Library has seen great interest from the community! So that it can accommodate this turnout, we ask that the parking lot be used for library parking only.
For those students who spend time at the library after school, the Southwest Regional Library closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays. Please make sure your ride knows!

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What's happening at CMS this week?

Monday, June 3rd--

6th-8th: EOG/EOC make-up exams

Tuesday, June 4th--

Chromebook & Charger Collection-- 8th Grade
6th-8th: EOG/EOC make-up exams

Wednesday, June 5th--

Chromebook & Charger Collection-- 6th Grade
8th: End of Year Celebration
6th-8th: EOG/EOC make-up exams

Thursday, June 6th--

Chromebook & Charger Collection-- 7th Grade
Yearbook Distribution
6th-8th: EOG/EOC make-up exams

Friday, June 7th--

Last Day of School
8th Grade Promotion Ceremony @ 10 AM (at CHS stadium)
Report Cards Sent Home
6th-8th: EOG/EOC make-up exams

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This Week in CMS Sports...

*Purchase tickets for HOME games/meets HERE!

**No Athletic competitions this week.**

Fall 2024 Girls' Volleyball--

Volleyball tryouts will be held August 12th - August 14th.

*More information about summer open gyms to be communicated later.

**Questions about school-sponsored sports can be directed to Brittany Lasher and/or Chandler Hendrix, CMS Athletic Directors. brittany.lasher@ucps.k12.nc.us AND chandler.hendrix@ucps.k12.nc.us

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UCPS-- SchoolCash Online is LIVE!

UCPS has changed their online payment provider from OSP to SchoolCash Online.

SchoolCash Online is a secure way to pay for school activities, field trips, spirit wear, etc. using Visa, Mastercard, eCheck and Apple Pay (coming soon). We encourage all parents to register now, so you’ll be ready to receive email notifications when fees are added to your student’s account and make online payments as schools begin to add school items to the online catalog.

The enrollment process for parents is simple.

First, create an account. https://ucps.schoolcashonline.com
Once you have created a user account, you can begin linking your student(s) to your profile. This will allow you to begin accessing outstanding items/activities, receive email notifications about fees/items assigned to your student and process payments for outstanding fees.
On February 16th, SchoolCash Online will email an invitation on behalf of UCPS to the primary guardian’s email address from PowerSchool to create an account (if you haven't already).
For those who have an account created already, but haven’t linked their student to their account, they will receive an automated “Accept” email from SchoolCash Online to add each unlinked student – assuming the email addresses match up.
Email Invitations will expire within 30 days of receipt.
If a parent signs up for an account through SchoolCash Online with an email address and it isn’t provided in PowerSchool, the new email will not be shared back to PowerSchool.

CMS Student Dress Code

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School Arrival & Dismissal

Morning Arrival

School doors open for students at 8:15 AM. (Please do NOT arrive at CMS before this time.)
Students arriving between 8:15 AM-8:35 AM will report to the PIT.
Arriving at 8:35 or after, students report to 3 areas by grade-level. (6th- Cafeteria, 7th- PIT, 8th-Gym).

At 8:50 AM, students will move to their homeroom classrooms.
Breakfast is served from 8:35 AM through 9:00 AM.
Students are LATE if not in the school building at 9:05 AM. Plan accordingly. (Students who are late will need to report to the school office to receive a tardy pass.)

Afternoon Dismissal--

At about 4:00 PM, dismissal procedures will begin. CMS is a LARGE school; an efficient dismissal

process takes some time. It'll be slow to start this week as we re-orient with school procedures.

Car-riders will ONLY be picked up via the front car-rider line at the front of the school.
Parents, please do not arrive at CMS until 3:30 or later for afternoon pick-up as the highschool is dismissing beforehand, and too many cars will cause gridlock on our school campuses.

Parents should NOT park in the staff parking lot, visitor parking spaces, the high school, or nearby neighborhoods to pick up children at dismissal time.

When picking up students, please pull ALL the way up to the front of the car rider line so we can load students quickly and safely. Students are to step into a car on the right side to avoid other cars.

Walking home from school is discouraged as it is a safety concern; the school is not currently outfitted with appropriate sidewalks nor cross walks. However, we understand that many families do choose for their students to walk home due to close proximity.

Change in Student Afternoon Transportation

In the event of an emergency, transportation changes will be taken over the phone and included

with afternoon announcements. (We don't call the student out of class to communicate this

information.)

**Reminder... Students may not ride any bus to which they are not assigned.**

Early Dismissal From School

Students who must leave before the end of the school day should bring a note from home

requesting early dismissal. The note should be taken to the office upon arrival and exchanged for a

'dismissal slip.' At the appointed time, the student should report to the office and be signed out by

an authorized adult with a picture ID. Parents should sign students out before 3:20 PM for early

dismissal, in order to not interfere with the school’s dismissal procedures.

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Student Attendance

Students are expected to attend school and each class every day unless sick, doctor/dentist appointment, educational opportunity, etc.

Parents should submit written documentation in order to have their student’s absence considered “excused.” Please submit to your child's homeroom teacher within 3 days of the absence.

CMS will only accept parent 'sick' notes during the grading period in which the absence occurred; notes from a medical provider will be accepted at any time.

ONLY the following reasons are acceptable to consider marking an absence 'excused:' Illness, quarantine by a health provider, medical/psychological visits (with note from the provider), funeral for immediate family member (with valid documentation), military deployment activities, PRE-APPROVED educational opportunities (no more than 2 days), religious observances.

Excessive unexcused absences/ unexcused tardies / unexcused early dismissals may require students to recover school time before or after school, Saturday school, etc. at a time designated by CMS.

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CMS 2023-24 Attendance Information

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Bus Transportation

UCPS no longer prints Bus Information for students/parents. All bus information can be accessed via the Bus App below. Download the Bus App to view your student’s bus stop time and location, locate the school bus, receive alerts, etc.

For more information-- https://www.ucps.k12.nc.us/Page/10414

Physical Education (PE) Uniforms

Students will have Physical Education class (either the 1st or 2nd semester) and will be required to change into a PE uniform. Here’s the link to purchase a PE uniform, if needed. https://cuthbertson-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

Items Forgotten At Home

Reminder of this CMS school policy.

Instructional time will not be disturbed for students to obtain forgotten items. When a student

leaves an item at home, we ask that they bring the item to school the next day, unless it is an item

that is required for their health and safety (ex. eye glasses, medicine, lunch, water bottles, etc.).

Additionally, student Chromebooks will be permitted to be dropped off, if forgotten at home, as

these are important instructional tools for active student participation within classroom activities

& assignments.

*Homework/projects, cell phones, instruments, PE uniform, etc., should not be brought to school

for students.

**Students may not receive gift items or fast food while at school.

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Water Bottles Permitted-- WATER only!

Water bottles are permitted-- ONLY with water!

*Students coming to school with drinks from Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc. will be asked to discard before coming into the school building.

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UCPS School Nutrition Update

Here are the meal prices for the 2023-24 school year:

Paid Breakfast-- $1.75 / Reduced Breakfast-- $.30

Paid Lunch-- $3.75 / Reduced Lunch-- $.40

Here’s what you need to know about meal applications:

School Nutrition Services is currently accepting Free and Reduced Meal applications.
To complete an application, parents will need their child/children’s name, school name(s), student ID numbers and information about your total household income.
For additional information about School Nutrition Services, visit https://ucpsschoolnutritionservices.com/.

Middle School Lunch Menu

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Parents-- Are you a Canvas Parent Observer?

The main use of the Canvas Parent Observer role is to link a parent to a student. Observers cannot submit work on behalf of the students they observe, but they can see student grades, assignments, and calendar events.

Click HERE to learn how to set-up a Canvas Parent Observer account.

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Parents-- Are you linked to your child's Powerschool account?

View your child's grades, attendance, state test scores, etc. by linking to your child's account.

The Powerschool Parent Portal is now up & running for the new school year.

Returning families-- Use the same log-in information as used in previous years.
New families-- Powerschool Parent Set-up information was sent home in the mailing with Student Schedules.

Questions? Contact Mrs. Diane Scaduto, Data Manager, at diane.scaduto@ucps.k12.nc.us.

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UCPS Parent Volunteer

If you would like to become a volunteer for CMS, complete a volunteer application. https://www.ucpsvolunteers.com/

Once your application is submitted, you will receive an automated email correspondence instructing you to confirm your email address. Additionally, you will receive an automated email when your application is approved or denied.
If you are already an approved volunteer, please visit the above link to renew your registration. You must renew your registration each year.